Finnick Odair: The man, not the lover
by GoldenBoy90
Summary: This is the story of Finnick Odair before he was reaped. How did the Capitols sex god come to be the trident wielding victor we know and love. Before the ego. Before Annie. There was a boy from District 4 who had to learn who he was and what he would become.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first ever fan fiction post. To start off, I instantly found Finnick to be an awesome character. I tried searching for his biographies, but always ended finding stories about Finnick & Annie or Finnick's sex journeys through the Capitol. I started writing his story as perceived by a dedicated Finnick fan to his journey in becoming the man that we know. Please feel free to share any constructive criticism, thoughts, and concerns. Appreciate you taking the time to read this. Enjoy.**

**P.S. I'm a 21 year old dude that plays Rugby for a living that just started embracing my 'geekyness' thanks to my supportive fiancée .**

Gliding just over the sand, I listen to the pure silence of the ocean; watch the sand flow through the water, as if it was dancing for the moment only to settle later. If I could survive underwater I would never leave, it would be perfect

My head emerges from the water and before I open my eyes, I hear my older brother Nav calling me from down the shore. Have I really been under that long again?

"Hey fin-boy, must be nice playing on the beach all day while Pops & I are out meeting quota." He says it like he doesn't love what he does and the glory that comes along with it. Let alone being able to double quota on a bad day. Nav's a deep sea fisherman. Being one at such a young age is a huge honor. The fact that he's one of the best makes him god-like here. My brother is a lot more muscular and burlier then I am. In fact, if there was an opposite of him it would be me. Tall, lanky, and awkward; I look more like his fishing pole than his brother when I stand next to him. He looks a lot like those people in the Capitol they call body builders, except more natural and not… altered, you know? Tatted, pierced, painted, and whatever else they do to themselves.

"So what's for dinner?"

His eyes dart straight to my fishing net. I use it as a game bag to carry the day's catch.

"Not much just some clams, mussels, crab, small reef fish, and…."

I smirk a little

"A Tiger shark."

Nav eyes light up. It's not that he loves the taste; he's just always had this vendetta against sharks. Maybe it's the challenge or the image that comes along with being a shark hunter, but I've seen this look in his eye's… It's not natural, the kind of look you see in a predator before it kills. Only it's not for survival, but for pride. None the less impressive and brave though. I've seen him dive in the water after an eight foot Mako shark about to snap the line. Funny thing is that every fisherman out with my father and us that day turned and watched my dad, waiting for panic to set in. Except my Pops just stood there; Arms crossed, chest out, chewing on his widdled pipe that grandfather gave him, proud and waiting for Nav to emerge.

Nav won. _Of course he did_.

You would think he's one of the greatest story tellers by the way he talks about his bout with the Mako, but not a single line is a lie. Nav's never been one for exaggerating, which makes it all the more impressive.

As we walk back to our house on the shoreline, I can feel the crisp breeze billowing off the ocean waters, and I smile.

I love where I live. There's no other place equal.

Yeah sure the Capitol may control us and make life a little hard, but I almost feel sorry for them. They just take what we provide them with. Never once appreciating the ocean and its power, love, nurture, serenity, and freedom.

"You going to bring that food in or what? I'm starving, fish boy!" I don't think Nav has ever called me by my real name.

"Hold on shark bait! Just making sure I got all the sand off me." I like reminding Nav that his whole shark hunting thing is only half bravery. The other half, or vast majority, is stupidity. I was making sure I wouldn't track any sand in the house. Last time I did, mom cracked a clam so hard over my head that Shell jumped from how intense the vibrations were.

Inside our little open home on the coast, I set my net bag in the bucket next to where mom usually cooks dinner. I sit down at the table and practice my knot tying. Pops says I'm getting better but still need to learn more advanced knots. I barely make it out, but I hear Shell's little feet scurry over to where I am. Shell is my little sister and the baby of the family. She's only around five feet, is very tan, and has piercing green eyes like that of fresh sea kelp. Her face is framed by thick long brown hair. Simply put, beautiful. I spin around and catch her as she squeals, hold her close then set her down. She pinches her fingers together and motions toward her mouth, her way of asking what's for dinner. I place my hand on my head to make the shape of a fin and show my teeth symbolizing shark. A smile forms from her lips. Shell giggles, rubs her tummy, and then runs away.

We're the closest of the family because we are the 'off' children. Myself being awkward, not resembling my father in anyway; looks, attitude, or talent. Shell because she's sweet, humble, caring, timid, and…

Deaf.

It's probably best this way, she doesn't have to hear how Pops is always disappointed in me, or his rants on why I can't I be more like Nav. She doesn't have to listen to all the girls gawk and rave about Nav; but the same girls say they're not interested in a boyfriend when you try to ask them to the Sunday festivities. She doesn't have to hear them giggle to their friends when they think you are out of earshot.

The nice ones wait at least.

That's when I'm glad Shell can't hear. She doesn't need to know how mean people can be. It would slowly deteriorate her innocence.

Honestly though, it's not like all people are mean. Nav for instance, is tough on me, but 'Shark Bait' has always saved my skin when he's needed to. Then there's Stryker, my best friend. Fiery little bastard. He's my equal brother. Not that Nav is a bad brother, but there is no living up to his expectations. Stryker is the brother who stands by my side instead of above me. I'm never left in his shadow. Then there is my mom. Terrifying and loving all at the same time. She has definitely mastered when to use which. Among a few others it's not all that bad, but I'll hold off on my Pops for now. At least until the 'incident' blows over.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the hits! It really does inspire me to keep writing. I'm going to try and keep posting the chapters pretty consistently every few days, but I do work long and odd hours. Please keep posting constructive reviews or thoughts, and here's chapter two. Enjoy. **

"_Waves are killer today, huh_?" Stryker says sarcastically, while hanging his legs in the calm water. We rock back and forth for awhile on our surf boards. I can feel Stryker starting to fume from frustration when I decide to distract him.

"Yeah, I kinda enjoy being lazy on Sundays though. Gives you a chance to clear your head before the festivities and dance." Almost as instantly as I say that, Stryker rolls off his board and into the water. When he comes up he's grinning. _Here it comes._

"You _would be_ excited for that, wouldn't you? Being an Odair and all."

"Don't even start with that! If anything, I'm adopted into the family. I consider the name a technicality."

"Well, you're still the ugliest Odair I've ever seen," he says while splashing water at me. Stryker seems like a jerk, but he means well.

"So it's been a few weeks since the incident. You and your dad on speaking terms yet?" Stryker actually seems concerned. The 'incident' has been kind of blowing over, which is nice. Tension was so thick you could pierce it with a trident.

It was roughly about two weeks ago. I had decided to go out with Nav and my father on a stormy day. Against my better judgment I followed along equipped with my utter lack of experience in these conditions. We left before dawn. Everything was still wet with dew as we went into the ocean concealed by the dark sky. I knew I was in over my head when I saw Nav already winded just getting past the surf. After a great struggle with high winds, we finally got the sail up. We were headed due west for deeper waters and bigger game.

The storm was more like a hurricane. Waves nearly engulfed our boat, the rain was coming down sideways, and you couldn't see more than ten feet from the bow. The ocean did not want us out there with her.

As we approached the fishing waters, my father ordered me to set up the heavy rig and drop the big game lure. Despite the conditions my father was determined to bring back a monster of a catch. The rain was coming down in heavy sheets, making it even harder to see.

Here's where everything went wrong. Nav knew that the storm would churn the waters, so if he started throwing chum off the deck, chances were we were going to attract sharks… and we did. Not big ones, but plenty of them. Enough to trigger Nav into a frenzy of trident chucking.

The storm was distracting enough, add in Nav bouncing all over the boat, hurling tridents, and yelling in sheer excitement caused me to forgot to throw the line out with the lure. When I saw it I knew it was too late.

I watched Nav chase the fin of a shark to the stern of the boat. Too distracted by the shark, his foot went right in the center of the coiled line. In a blink, the line had wrapped itself around Nav's ankle and drug him overboard plunging into the depths of the shark-infested ocean. Every second that I was frozen in panic, Nav plunged a fathom. My pops screaming in a slur of panic, rage, and confusion brought me back to reality.

_If I don't act Nav will die, and my brother's death will be my fault._

The reel was spinning furiously; I had to stop it from letting out anymore line! There was no time to try and ease it to a stop, and with how fast it was going I would have broken my hand trying to snatch it. _My spear!_ I flung the spear from my back where it rested and thrust it into the spinning gears. Immediately, they ground to a halt, but Nav had to have been at least ten fathoms deep.

Without a second thought, I dove into the ocean and started pulling myself down by the line that disappeared into what looked like forever. He had been under for over a minute now. Combine that with the cold temperature of the water, being yanked under by surprise, and the fact that there were dozens of sharks feeding in the same waters, didn't really leave much room for hope.

My lungs burned and my muscles tightened.

_Deeper._

Pressure built in my head and compressed my chest.

_Deeper._

My legs went numb and my vision narrowed.

_Deeper._

The line went limp from the depths…

A large dark figure was flying up towards me_. This is the shark that got Nav, and now he is coming to take me with him. Brothers until the end, right?_

As it closed in on me I shut my eyes, and waited for the razor sharp teeth to sink in. I felt it pass me so fast, the draft it created gave me a boost to the surface. I opened my eyes and saw _kicking legs_? Nav! He was alive and booking for the surface!

I made a flurry of kicks and ascended straight towards the surface. My lungs were about to implode and my vision grew darker. I saw the breach nearing and gave every ounce of will I had left. Just as I emerged my vision went black as I gasped for air. I forced air into my lungs and tried to focus. My vision came back blurred.

_I don't see Nav._

I flipped my head back into the water and saw his limp body floating in a void of darkness. I glided down to him and pulled him up to the surface by his arm. Shallow water black out is what my pops calls it. Basically when you get within a few feet of the surface after swimming in deep waters, the change in pressure causes you to black out.

_Hell of a time to do so Nav!_

He's so big I struggled to barely keep one of our heads afloat. Finally, my father got close enough to drag him into the boat. I clung to the edge panting, with no strength left to pull myself in. I watched as my pops pushed Nav's chest inward to a rhythm, then stopped to force air into his lungs.

It only takes a few compressions before Nav coughed violently, turned towards me and hurled up what seemed to be gallons of salt water all over my face. I was far too weak to care at that moment; I just dipped my face in the ocean water and smiled. My brother was alive.

Good thing it was storming, because tears were pouring down my face. Not out of fear, but relief. I lifted my head out of the water and looked back at my brother, still lying on his side spittin' up seawater.

"Rookie mistake fin-boy," Nav said with a weak attempt at a smile.

"In all fairness, you were literally shark bait for a second," my voice cracked through the tears, but I didn't care. Nav laughed, but ended up choking up more saltwater.

That's when I felt my father grab my arm and hoist me up and over the water. Instead of setting me down he threw me across the boat like a rag doll. That's when I saw his face. His was a face not of relief, but of anger.

"What were you thinking Fin! You think this is a game! You're brother almost died today, and it would have been your entire fault!" Even through the cold and sleeting rain, you could see his face red with rage.

"Pops I'm sorry," I was petrified. I had never seen my father that angry.

"I don't want to hear it Fin. You've put us through enough today." Disappointment filled me at his words. It pulled me down like a weight. It almost would have been better if he would have hit me.

That's when Nav spoke up, "C'mon pops calm down, it was my fault too. I know better than to run around while setting up the line. I mean he's still only eleven, he's just a boy, still learning."

_Nav is the epitome of a big brother. He nearly died moments ago, and now he's trying to take the blame._

"Age is just a number Nav, and you're still learning too! Both of you set sail east, that's enough for today," my father's voice is stern. Neither of us said anything we just did as we were told.

That was the first and only time we came back empty handed. Well not entirely…we had each other.


End file.
